Tag Archives: Spiritual Warfare

CONQUERING EVIL By DOING GOOD, Part 1

Quote

Posted on by
2

5E6E67C2-ED73-4AA7-B694-BDF253E316E1

Conquering Evil

Evil times are times when the worst of mankind surfaces. It is also a time when the Principality War is most visible. My last two posts shared thoughts about the present evil time, and how faith is our anchor. Today we’ll focus more in-depth on conquering evil by doing good. We are Gods army; we are the ‘ Resistance.’ It is our responsibility to resist the enemy in the time of evil. (Eph 6:13)

The word ‘conquer’ means, to overcome by force. In our case, overcoming by physical force is not possible. The Principality War is between God and Satan. The war exists in the second heaven and is played out on earth. If we are to be victorious and conquerors, we must use the weapons the Lord gave us that are described in Ephesians. Each part of the armor represents a component of our weaponry and is based in prayer.  Paul tells the Ephesians to put on the armor and explains that they must be dressed to stand against the devil’s schemes. He also shared that our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (See my post about the Heavenlies.) 

Paul described the armor as Roman military uniforms. The importance of wearing the armor is still applicable today. The war is raging, and we need to dress in the appropriate attire to protect ourselves, stand, and fight in God’s army.

“13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.”

There are six elements that compose our armor. Each element has its attribute though they must be worn together. Failure to wear each piece leaves us exposed to the wiles of Satan and the onslaught of his demons.

Parts of the Armor Definition of Attributes
Breastplate The breastplate represents Christ’s Righteousness/Purity. It protects us from Satan’s accusations and charges. The enemy attacks through sin, and the temptation of the flesh. The breastplate protects our heart, through which spring the issues of life. (Proverbs 4:23; Romans 3:10; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 2:8-9; Philippians 3:9)
Belt The belt is the Gospel of Peace. The belt holds everything together. It is our commitment to the truth. It refers to the truths of the Scripture, as opposed to the lies of Satan. It is the foundation of our integrity and honesty. If we don’t have integrity, we will lose the battle. (John 8:44; John 8:32)
Shoes/Sandals Sandals are the believer’s tranquility/solid footing of peace. Satan tries to place obstacles in our path. Jesus provides strength and discipline to our walk. (1 John 2:6; John 10:27)
Shield The shield is our Faith/Certainty in God’s Word/Truth. The shield combats doubt, thrown as fiery darts. Faith is a gift from God that dwells in us. (Ephesians 6:16; 2 Timothy 3:12; Romans12:3; Galatians 2:20; 2 Timothy 4:7) Use the shield of faith to turn aside everything Satan and his demons hurl at you.
Helmet The helmet is our salvation. It is being saved which protects our thought and mind from attacks. When we are sure of our salvation, we will not be moved by Satan’s deception. Our salvation is knowing that our sins are forgiven and gives us peace when the accusations of unforgiveness are hurled. (1 John 1:9; 1 John 5:11, 12)
Sword The sword is the Word of God we use when we are being tempted by Satan and his attacks. The sword is the only offensive weapon. The sword protects us and destroys the enemy and his temptations. (Hebrews 4:12; John 17:17; Psalm 119:105)

Each morning when we take out our outfit for the day, we must also take out our armor. Paul commands us to:

14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians 6:14-17 NKJV

Prayer is the thread that stitches the armor together.  So, while prayer is not part of the armor, it is the thread that holds it together.

18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Ephesians 6:18 NKJV

 READ, Conquering Evil by Doing Good, Part 2, tomorrow

Re-Blog – https://wp.me/p98Coa-DL
Scripture – Bible.com/YouVerison,Images – YouVersion, Google Images
Resources/References – Armor of God-WHat It Is and How to Use It. Debbie McDaniel, Crosswalk.com; Armor of God. What Is It? Bibleinfo.com

The Dark Times

Quote

Posted on by
Reply

In a time where it seems that the Civil War spirit has spread throughout the nation, it’s important to remember who we are – God’s children.

We live in this world but are not of this world, and some of the commandments do not line up with worldly logic. I understand that, my response, to paraphrase Jesus, is, ‘not my will, but your will be done’.

God’s command is to ’love our enemies, to love those who hate us and despise us.’ We are to bless those who curse us and to pray for those who mistreat us.

Why?

We are God’s children and He wants to save all souls. ”The idea of blessing is to invoke God‘s favor on another’s behalf or at least appeal to God for that person.” Jesus is calling for an unnatural response. He wants us to respond in love and not physical or verbal retaliation.

This is important for everyone including me. I am at times taken over by the prevailing spirit of hate and anger, succumbing to the spirit of Civil War hate. But my response feels unnatural and weakens my resolve.

As we mature as Christians, our continuance is no longer of this world. We can no longer linger in the hate, hurt, or malice. God has called us into another world. One that stands in the face of this energy and proclaims Him the victor, our Lord, and Savior.

We cannot be separated from God. We are his children. And we have an intimate relationship with Him. It is unnatural to abandon Him during these dark times.

It is precisely during these times that people look for light and look for God. We are the light, the Holy Spirit lives in us and shines through our being. They look to see how we respond, with love or hate. The war is not ours, it is a principality war and we are charged to carry out the Lord’s commands. We are God’s foot soldiers. Our light must continue to shine brightly in this all-encompassing darkness.

Light always shines through the darkness, if we ’STAND’ in these evil times. We need to do good and be merciful to our enemies because of what God did for us, when we were unsaved sinners.

Re-Blog – https://wp.me/p98Coa-Dv
Scripture Bible.com; Biblegateway.com, TNIV
Images – Bible.com, YouVersion; Google Images

Thank you for visiting my Young Christian Warriors site and dailyinspiration-lisasthoughts.com.

RePost: Spiritual Warfare Decree, by Pure Glory

Quote

Posted on by
Reply

F13BDAA1-491D-4B59-9C60-D5830CCEEEAD

This was written in 2014 and is just as relevant today.

by Apostle Gabriel Cross

This day, in Jesus’s miraculous name, I loose the pure powerful witchcraft breaking, law fulfilling, heart transforming love of God, against every spirit of fear, fear of rejection, fear of failure, fear of being hurt again, fear of success, fear of starting your business, fear of writing your business plan or vision down, fear of poverty, fear of wealth, fear of fame, fear of the future, fear of intimacy, fear of marriage, fear of abuse or being abused again, fear of the past, fear of the present, fear of authority, fear of church, fear of relationship, fear of truth, fear of oneself, fear of abandonment, fear of not having enough, fear of the unknown, fear of being alone, and all the such like. I command fear to rot and dry up in your life and cleanse all the lesser demons out with it.

We speak division in the camp of the enemy. Your destiny is sealed in the blood of the Lamb. We take authority over all scanner spirits, gossiping spirits, run and tell spirits, and spiritual spies, spiritual eyes, and spiritual bugs, in Jesus name.

This week, your enemies will be exposed and so your true friends will be recognized, no more spirit of disguise or waiting for your demise. You have been elevated to SEE what you couldn’t see before.

We negate, and cut off every witchcraft attachment. The assignments of the enemy have just been canceled and broken off your life. We speak blindness, deafness, traitors in the camp of the enemy, concerning your life and conversations today. I speak that the trap planned against You, blows up in their face. Every plot, sabotage, death, and sudden destruction, and scheme of the enemy is SHUT DOWN, NOW. The traps they set for you, they will fall into themselves. I blow a freezing frost, upon all activity not of The Lord, about you. I loose giant warring angels to do battle against all the demonic activity, about you today!

I cancel the prayers and prophecies that are ungodly and not of The Lord concerning you. We destroy every plan and purpose of the enemy against you and we reestablish the plan and purpose of Yahweh for your life. Receive heaven’s abundance, receive heaven’s abundance, receive heaven’s abundance. You are overflowing with the riches of his glory. You are saturated and satiated in the wonders of his love, the warmth of his embrace, and the joy of his countenance.

We are fulfilling our dreams and receiving our inheritance and harvesting our crops. We will not be robbed, bamboozled, or hoodwinked by the enemy. We will walk in truth, love, and not deceived or self-deceived. Everything in the dark, we expose to the Light of Christ. Every hidden trap or wicked device, we crush and destroy, by the voice and sword of The Lord.

Satan, the blood of Jesus is against you! I release the judgment of God against every spirit of death and destruction, playing games with the mind, mind controlling spirits, the spirit of delay, and the spirit of denial and declare everything and everyone ordained for you, is coming to you now, in this hour, this season, now!

Everything evil being sent your way, God turns it into a blessing. I loose the spirit of breakthrough that you would break through every wall and every barrier and every unforeseen barrier, in the power of Christ. The breaker comes up before them: they have broken up, and have passed through the gate, and are gone out by it: and their king shall pass before them, and the Lord on the head of them. (Micah 2:13)

We decree, the gates are open over your life, your business, your ministry, your husband, your wife, your children, and your career. The floodgates of heaven are released over your life. You have a greater abundance of power and life, today because you have Heaven’s provision, prosperity, protection, and providence. Plunge into the new day of release, thrust into the truth and freedom of what Heaven says about you, and divine into the realm of your impossibilities becoming realities.

© Crown of Glory International Ministries. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission, from this blog’s author and/or owner, is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Crown of Glory International Ministries, http://pureglory.net

We Demolish Strongholds

Quote

Posted on by
Reply

Strongholds2

“The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.”
2 Corinthians 10:4 NIV

According to this scripture, a stronghold is a demonic hold. Strongholds are demolished through spiritual warfare. When we are in spiritual warfare, it is imperative to put on the Armor of God, because we cannot enter a battle ill-prepared.

There are two strongholds that bind believers in bondage. The first one is an incorrect perception of who God is, and the other is an inaccurate perception of who we are. (Identifying Strongholds)

According to Deliverance Ministries, a stronghold is an incorrect thinking pattern. They quote-spiritual-strongholds-begin-with-a-thought-one-thought-becomes-a-consideration-a-consideration-elisabeth-elliot-54-4-0416are built upon deception and error, perpetuated by Satan. The global news is one mechanism used to create strongholds today. Rarely do we view ‘good’ news stories. Why, because these stories would dilute the stronghold of deception, hate, oppression, and depression.

2 Corinthians 10:5 continues by expressing that “we demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

The KJV uses the phrase casting down strongholds and imaginations.

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: 4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; 6 And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.     2 Corinthians 10:4-6 KJV

Transformation - Thin WithinThe only way we can demolish strongholds is through the transformation of the way we think. Our thinking is governed by what we know, what we are taught, what we see, what we hear, and what we feel. In essence, much of what we know is informed through emotions. We must renew our minds by cleansing it of deceptions, errors, and lies by reading and studying the Word of God. We cannot allow ourselves to conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing, and perfect will. Romans 12:2 NIV.

So, what are common strongholds that we must break to live a Godly life? The primary strongholds are anger, fear, abandonment, shame, lying, financial lack, addictions, sensuality, depression, grief, mental instability, pride, and procrastination. These strongholds can be referred to as clusters because they group a host of similar emotions. (Charisma News)

Strongholds7Satan builds strongholds by reminding us of our past failures and sins. He keeps us in bondage threw doubt, anger, fear, and shame. He works to create an environment of self-hate and self-loathing and uses them to tear down our faith which says we are worthy. He uses our sins to gain a foothold. Extra-marital affairs are an example. There is temptation, desire, and lust, followed by action, twisting the truth, which in turn fosters shame, lying and guilt. Satan convinces us that God rejects us because of our sins and we are unworthy of God’s forgiveness and love.

Stronghold4The only way to break the stronghold is through repentance and the renewing of our mind. We must put on the Armor of God and read the scriptures that offer strength and truth to overcome our strongholds. I think we can all admit that we have experienced strongholds we are not proud of, but with prayer have overcome.

Satan tempted Jesus, he will and does tempt us. Thank God, Jesus died on the cross to take away our sin, 1 John 3:5, and He chose to forgive our sin. Hebrews 8:12.

IMPORTANT NOTE

This post only begins a conversation about strongholds, but hopefully provides an understanding of what demonic strongholds are and how they create a gulf between you and God.

The final verse in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 says, we must bring captive every thought to the obedience of Christ. The only way to do this is to practice living the Word of God to align ourselves with His thinking and promises that set us free. 

ReBlog – https://wp.me/p9BMGC-M8
Images – Google Images; YouVersion
Scriptures – Biblegateway.com
Resources – Ministering Deliverance.com; Charisma News-How to Take Down 13 Demonic Strongholds that Bind You, Mark Virkler. Chrisma.com; Identifying Strongholds, Greatbiblestudy.com; Spiritual Warfare-Tear Down Strongholds, Greatbiblestudys.com; The Battle for Your Mind, Rick Warren. desiringgod.org; WInning the Battle of Your Mind, Joseph Prince.com/blog; Prayers that Rout Demons, John Eckhardt.

Thank you for visiting my Young Christian Warriors site and dailyinspiration-lisasthoughts.com, at the moment there is some duplication. I am working on merging the two to create one great site. Please bear with me through this process.

 

God’s Promises Strengthen Us For The Battle, Spiritual Warfare

Quote

Posted on by
Reply

Eccl 311

My ongoing theme, Spiritual Warfare, stresses that we are in a constant battle with our sin nature directed by Satan. Satan is not the only reason we fall prey to our sin nature, though he is the author of it. We are God’s children. His dominion is superior to all others. He knew a battle would be waged against him, and to ensure that we know we are His, He placed the hidden treasure of eternity deep within our heart. When something is in our heart, we are aware of its existence and feel a great longing for the eternal life He has placed in us. Ecclesiastes 3:11 reaffirms our belief that God has set eternity deep in our hearts.

“God has made everything; as all things in creation are made by him, for his pleasure and glory, and all well and wisely, there is a beauty in them all: so all things in providence; he upholds all things; he governs and orders all things according to the counsel of his will; some things are done immediately by him, others by instruments, and some are only permitted by him; some he does himself, some he wills to be done by others, and some he suffers to be done; but in all there is a beauty and harmony; and all are ordered, disposed, and overruled, to answer the wisest and greatest purposes; everything is done in the time in which he wills it shall; be done, and done in the time most fit and suitable for it to be done; all things before mentioned, for which there is a time, and all others: all natural things are beautiful in their season; things in summer, winter, spring, and autumn; frost and snow in winter, and heat in summer; darkness and dews in the night, and light and brightness in the day.”

The knowledge of the existence of eternity is nestled in our heart. We will not know it until it is revealed. Now my question is since the Holy Spirit is part of the Trinity and resides or dwells in us, is there any doubt that the Holy Spirit knows the secret about our eternity? I think not. While the Holy Spirit is part of the Trinity and aware of the hidden treasures, it is not His to share, “and though everything is beautiful in its time, until they are made manifest, and all viewed together; they will not be perfectly understood, or the beauty of them seen, ( Revelation 15:4 )”.

God promises us that the hidden treasure will be revealed. This scripture gives us the strength to fight the Good Fight of Faith, as Paul expressed, to continue the race. It empowers us to armor up every day and use our weapon, the Word, to share the Gospel and fight the spiritual war that rages all day every day.

Images – Google Images

Scriptures – YouVersion.Bible.com

Resource – Quotes  from biblestudytools.com/commentaries/gills-exposition-of-the-bible/ecclesiastes-3-11.html

Thank you for visiting my Young Christian Warriors site and dailyinspiration-lisasthoughts.com, at the moment there is some duplication. I am working on merging the two to create one great site. Please bear with me through this process.

 

Where is Your Focus?

Quote

Posted on by
Reply

“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
2 Corinthians‬ ‭4:18‬‬

This scripture spoke to my inner being, reminding me that I can get caught up in the things of this world if I do not stay vigilant. It is easy to allow our carnal man to prosper. All of our senses are tuned into the shiny things of this earth that are constantly bombarding us. We are in a constant state of warfare; tug and war. Our choices are this world or the heavenlies.

We need to stay in tune and shift our focus. The battle rages throughout our lives. God gave us the freedom to choose how we live our lives. Earlier in life, I decided that my purpose was to reach the Kingdom, this meant that I needed to make decisions to walk away from some things, refocus, and galvanize others. in short, reaching my spiritual destination is the focus of my life.

Our eternal goal relies on our contemplation, prayer, praise, and worship, which guides us and makes us better. When we replace the object of the goal, then the things we formerly worshiped become benefits of our work and not the object of our work.

I’ve learned that focusing on things, as the end-all, is a form of idol worship; things, such as a new outfit, car, new apartment, home, ultimate vacation, and career ascension,  are temporal and lose their value over time, my focus is acquiring eternal life in heaven.

As sinners, we cannot fall prey to delusion and the idols of this world. Satan will use everything available to prevent the gospel from shining, from politics to morals, to seemingly innocuous music. Between Satan and our sin nature, we are constantly battling to live in the spiritual realm, we must always stay alert, as Christians, must focus on the Word to avoid the traps of the evil one while demonstrating the virtues of Christ in our daily lives. Focusing on the Good News prepares us for our eternal life while living on earth. It makes us better people, spouses, parents, friends, and God’s helpers. Hold on to instruction, do not let it go, guard it well, for it is your life. Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evildoers. Avoid it, do not travel on it turn from it and go on your way. The path of the righteous is like the morning sun shining ever brighter till the full light of day. But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble. My son, pay attention to what I say turn your ear to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body. Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the[a] paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.
Proverbs 4:13-27 NIV

Images – Google Images

Scripture – Biblegateway.com

Thank you for visiting my Young Christian Warriors site and dailyinspiration-lisasthoughts.com, at the moment there is some duplication. I am working on merging the two to create one great site. Please bear with me through this process.